More photos here
Thursday, December 30, 2010
guo9001
I didn't want to spend a fortune on outdoor lighting, and I found these really nice lights on eBay. I bought 7 for $150 including shipping. Similar lights in Lowes would have been over $50 each. Home Depot was even more expensize. They are good size, like 19 inches high. I put one on each side of my front door, one above each garage door, and one on each side of the back door. What do you think?
More photos here
More photos here
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Hallowell Acadia stuck in stage 1 only
2010-Dec-10
Something is wrong.
The second floor system is working great. The 1st floor one is fubar. The heat always blows out cool. Ok I don't know the temp, but it seems like the 1st state heat. When you put the thermostat up a few degrees, and it goes to stage 2, or stage 2 blinking, the air temp is the same. Emergency heat mode, same thing. Seems like it is stuck on stage 1. So with outside temps 35 high and 10 low right now, it's tough to stay warm. The upstairs unit does compensate, but that is not the answer.
My installer went out of business, but i know the guy, he went to work for someone else. I called him, he says Hallowell has not returned his call(s). Connecting that with recent speculative comments in posts about Hallowell layoffs/buyout/etc.
Also a friend of mine had the same thing happen to him at the same time. He build a 5000 sq ft house at the same time i build my house, and has 2 4-ton units and 1 3-ton unit. One of his is doing the same thing.
Anyone have any idea or advice?
Does anyone know a good Hallowell Acadia install/service guy in the Mahopac NY area (50 miles north of NYC)? I dont want to call random guy.
2010-Dec-14 update
OK I think it is fixed now.
A guy from Mt Kisco Mechanical came out to the house and looked at it this morning. First thing I asked him, was how many Hallowell Acadia's he had worked on before. None, he said, but we all went through the training. That made me a little nervous. Anyway I explained the situation, he checked out the thermostat, air handler, and heat pump. Asked me for the manuals to check some more stuff. He said the heat pump unit had a blinking error #6, he would have to call Hallowell. Also, he showed me a jumper on the air handler (just like on a computer motherboard) which was set to "no heat" instead of "heat". So that was why the emergency heat mode on the thermostat did not work. So I guess in the past year, when my thermostat showed 1+2 blinking, I was not getting any heat from those heat strips.
He called the Hallowell number on the front of the manual, got passed to voicemail, and left them a message. Not even 2 minutes later his phone rang, it was a Hallowell technician. The error #6 was some sort of internal compressor lockout. So I think he just had to pull the disconnect, wait like 15 seconds, and put the disconnect back in, to clear it. The Hallowell guy said that the compressor tripped because it got too hot, it was working too hard. Usually 2 reasons for this would be, (1) not enough air flow, (2) problem in the coolant system.
The filters were fine, air flow seemed ok. The Hallowell guy said something like 20 degrees subcooling. The service tech checked the R-410A coolant, it was low. He said there is likely a slow leak somewhere, probably since original installation, and I should get it checked out in the Spring. He topped off the 2nd floor unit which he said was ok, but on the low end. So he added 14 lbs. He checked out both units, dip switches, wiring etc. The attic unit also had the strip heaters off, he changed both to on.
I'm thinking I might go back and disable them to save money/prevent them from going on. Might this cause any problems with the units/compresors/etc?
Here is what the service tech wrote up
So the rumors about Hallowell getting bought out / going out of business may or may not be accurate. They were super responsive for me today, and they helped the service tech over the phone to get my problem diagnosed/fixed. And it does not appear to be a Hallowell equipment problem.
So hopefully everything is fine now. I'll see how it goes in the next few days. Any comments would be appreciated.
UPDATE: PLEASE READ MY OTHER POSTS ABOUT THE HALLOWELL ACADIA. I'm having compressor problems like many other Hallowell Acadia Owners...
Also if you deal/install/own a Hallowell Acadia, please join the Hallowell Acadia Google Group.
.
Something is wrong.
The second floor system is working great. The 1st floor one is fubar. The heat always blows out cool. Ok I don't know the temp, but it seems like the 1st state heat. When you put the thermostat up a few degrees, and it goes to stage 2, or stage 2 blinking, the air temp is the same. Emergency heat mode, same thing. Seems like it is stuck on stage 1. So with outside temps 35 high and 10 low right now, it's tough to stay warm. The upstairs unit does compensate, but that is not the answer.
My installer went out of business, but i know the guy, he went to work for someone else. I called him, he says Hallowell has not returned his call(s). Connecting that with recent speculative comments in posts about Hallowell layoffs/buyout/etc.
Also a friend of mine had the same thing happen to him at the same time. He build a 5000 sq ft house at the same time i build my house, and has 2 4-ton units and 1 3-ton unit. One of his is doing the same thing.
Anyone have any idea or advice?
Does anyone know a good Hallowell Acadia install/service guy in the Mahopac NY area (50 miles north of NYC)? I dont want to call random guy.
2010-Dec-14 update
OK I think it is fixed now.
A guy from Mt Kisco Mechanical came out to the house and looked at it this morning. First thing I asked him, was how many Hallowell Acadia's he had worked on before. None, he said, but we all went through the training. That made me a little nervous. Anyway I explained the situation, he checked out the thermostat, air handler, and heat pump. Asked me for the manuals to check some more stuff. He said the heat pump unit had a blinking error #6, he would have to call Hallowell. Also, he showed me a jumper on the air handler (just like on a computer motherboard) which was set to "no heat" instead of "heat". So that was why the emergency heat mode on the thermostat did not work. So I guess in the past year, when my thermostat showed 1+2 blinking, I was not getting any heat from those heat strips.
He called the Hallowell number on the front of the manual, got passed to voicemail, and left them a message. Not even 2 minutes later his phone rang, it was a Hallowell technician. The error #6 was some sort of internal compressor lockout. So I think he just had to pull the disconnect, wait like 15 seconds, and put the disconnect back in, to clear it. The Hallowell guy said that the compressor tripped because it got too hot, it was working too hard. Usually 2 reasons for this would be, (1) not enough air flow, (2) problem in the coolant system.
The filters were fine, air flow seemed ok. The Hallowell guy said something like 20 degrees subcooling. The service tech checked the R-410A coolant, it was low. He said there is likely a slow leak somewhere, probably since original installation, and I should get it checked out in the Spring. He topped off the 2nd floor unit which he said was ok, but on the low end. So he added 14 lbs. He checked out both units, dip switches, wiring etc. The attic unit also had the strip heaters off, he changed both to on.
I'm thinking I might go back and disable them to save money/prevent them from going on. Might this cause any problems with the units/compresors/etc?
Here is what the service tech wrote up
So the rumors about Hallowell getting bought out / going out of business may or may not be accurate. They were super responsive for me today, and they helped the service tech over the phone to get my problem diagnosed/fixed. And it does not appear to be a Hallowell equipment problem.
So hopefully everything is fine now. I'll see how it goes in the next few days. Any comments would be appreciated.
UPDATE: PLEASE READ MY OTHER POSTS ABOUT THE HALLOWELL ACADIA. I'm having compressor problems like many other Hallowell Acadia Owners...
Also if you deal/install/own a Hallowell Acadia, please join the Hallowell Acadia Google Group.
.
Monday, December 6, 2010
New York Electrical Inspection Services
OK, I need to get my final electrical inspection soon. Some electrical contractors that I've talked to, tell you their total price for the job. Other tell you a price, plus a separate amount for inspection fees.
So wanting to know everything, I got real curious about these electrical fees. Can someone tell me what the fee is? Or fees? Not really.
One contractor said "a couple hundred dollars". Another one said "I don't know, 0.30 cents per outlet, 10 cents a switch, something like that." No one woud give me a straight answer. So I called the electrical inspection agency. I guess there are a bunch of companies that conduct electrical inspections in New York, and New York Electrical Inspection Services seems to be the most well known or most used around my area. So I called them directly and asked them what their fees are. Point blank, they would not tell me. They said they did not want to be rude, but they deal only with electrical contractors, and do NOT deal directly with homeowners at all. They charge a fee to the contractor, then the contractor bills the homeowner. What a great ploy that is!
What is going on here? Talk about transparency, this organization never heard of it. Maybe I am stupid, but I thought that the whole point of an inspection, is to protect homeowners from substandard work by contractors. But yet these same inspection agencies will NOT even talk to a homeowner, but have a great buddy-buddy relationship with contractors.
As a homeowner, that scares me. Like they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
So wanting to know everything, I got real curious about these electrical fees. Can someone tell me what the fee is? Or fees? Not really.
One contractor said "a couple hundred dollars". Another one said "I don't know, 0.30 cents per outlet, 10 cents a switch, something like that." No one woud give me a straight answer. So I called the electrical inspection agency. I guess there are a bunch of companies that conduct electrical inspections in New York, and New York Electrical Inspection Services seems to be the most well known or most used around my area. So I called them directly and asked them what their fees are. Point blank, they would not tell me. They said they did not want to be rude, but they deal only with electrical contractors, and do NOT deal directly with homeowners at all. They charge a fee to the contractor, then the contractor bills the homeowner. What a great ploy that is!
What is going on here? Talk about transparency, this organization never heard of it. Maybe I am stupid, but I thought that the whole point of an inspection, is to protect homeowners from substandard work by contractors. But yet these same inspection agencies will NOT even talk to a homeowner, but have a great buddy-buddy relationship with contractors.
As a homeowner, that scares me. Like they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Ipe decking #2
This is an update to my Ipe deck project. I finished the back deck, except for the step, and am working on the front deck now (pics of that someday).
Check the link below to see my photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jjdecker95/IpeDecking#
This project is taking me forever, being a weekend warrior, having 3 young kids, and 2 unfinished bathrooms inside the house. So the staining will have to wait until next year. Should be ok, right?
So right now I am having some concerns with the quality of the Ipe I got. Seems ok, but who knows, this is the one-and-only Ipe deck I have ever built. Some pieces are real dark, some are real light. Some are really really hard (dark boards), some are softer (light boards). Some are clear, some have a tiger-like grain to them. Some seem a bit rough when you run your hand up one way, then smooth if you rub the other way. 3 or 4 boards have lots and lots of checks, almost the whole 15 foot length of board. Most of the boards have no checks. I have one board that looks like it will destroy your foot if you walk on it. I think I'll have to replace that board, I don't know how I did not notice it, when I put that board down. It looks like the grain is sort of lifted, and could cause nasty splinters in your foot (See pictures 10 and 11). 3 or 4 few boards seem fine, but have knots in them (pics 13 and 15). Will these spots worsen over time?
I bought 1725 linear feet of boards. There are probably six 15-footers that I probably should toss in the dumpster. Maybe six others that are usable but not the greatest. Not really sure about the rest, if it is so-so, good, great, top quality or not. Of course I was assured that the Ipe was top quality, all heart wood clear Ipe, blah blah blah. Would any expert want me to mail them some scrap cuts to examine? Or even better, stop by and look at my deck? Just kidding…
The railings. I chickened out on the Ipe railings. No way I get the project done this year. So I did the shiny PVC rail, and put an Ipe rail on top of it. I like it, I think the front deck I will do the same.
The pics in that gallery are hi-res, so you can view full screen, or better yet download them and zoom in real close to see the detail.
Check the link below to see my photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jjdecker95/IpeDecking#
This project is taking me forever, being a weekend warrior, having 3 young kids, and 2 unfinished bathrooms inside the house. So the staining will have to wait until next year. Should be ok, right?
So right now I am having some concerns with the quality of the Ipe I got. Seems ok, but who knows, this is the one-and-only Ipe deck I have ever built. Some pieces are real dark, some are real light. Some are really really hard (dark boards), some are softer (light boards). Some are clear, some have a tiger-like grain to them. Some seem a bit rough when you run your hand up one way, then smooth if you rub the other way. 3 or 4 boards have lots and lots of checks, almost the whole 15 foot length of board. Most of the boards have no checks. I have one board that looks like it will destroy your foot if you walk on it. I think I'll have to replace that board, I don't know how I did not notice it, when I put that board down. It looks like the grain is sort of lifted, and could cause nasty splinters in your foot (See pictures 10 and 11). 3 or 4 few boards seem fine, but have knots in them (pics 13 and 15). Will these spots worsen over time?
I bought 1725 linear feet of boards. There are probably six 15-footers that I probably should toss in the dumpster. Maybe six others that are usable but not the greatest. Not really sure about the rest, if it is so-so, good, great, top quality or not. Of course I was assured that the Ipe was top quality, all heart wood clear Ipe, blah blah blah. Would any expert want me to mail them some scrap cuts to examine? Or even better, stop by and look at my deck? Just kidding…
The railings. I chickened out on the Ipe railings. No way I get the project done this year. So I did the shiny PVC rail, and put an Ipe rail on top of it. I like it, I think the front deck I will do the same.
The pics in that gallery are hi-res, so you can view full screen, or better yet download them and zoom in real close to see the detail.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Ipe decking
Ok so I researched Ipe for a while and finally got the project going. Of course no research is ever complete - some things I read here a while ago went in one ear out the other, things change, I changed my mind about stuff, etc
Here are my pics so far:
IpeDecking
The deck is about 14 by 26, framed with 2x10s, 12 inches on center. Right side of the deck is about 2 foot off the ground, left side is about 4 or 5 feet. There will be one Ipe step, off the deck to the bluestone patio. I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to do that, any ideas? Should I leave out the risers, so there will be enough ventilation?
Of course I hunted around for the best price on Ipe. The usual suspects East Teak, Advantage Lumber, etc. were still higher than best priced local lumber yard, Rings End Lumber in Lewisboro NY. I know 2 builders that use Rings End and they love their Ipe. But last minute, I ended up going with a crazy website where you submit an Ipe request and companies bid on it. Turns out the company with the best bid was actually the wholesaler/supplier for Rings End, what a coincidence. So I went with them. I wasn't only going for lowest bid, but lowest bid from a company with good quality Ipe, and I'm pretty happy with it. It was like John said in one of his posts, it has some band marks, end of the board with some stains from the sealer, etc., but the boards looked great. I got a mix of 8, 10, 15, 16 and 20 footers (mostly the larger sizes).
I bought 2.5 inch stainless steel screws from Fasco Fastener, 1/8 cobalt drill bits, carbide tipped chop saw blades, and a used eBay BoWrench. So I just put my first Ipe board down, screwed from the top. You can see that in the second picture - does it look like I did it right? I used another drill bit about the size of the screw head so the screw would go down below the surface slightly. Now I'm having second thoughts, and am considering plugging. Seems like only slightly more work than I'm already doing, using 3 drills as it is, not sure what to do right now with that.
Also second thoughts on the deck rail, I had decided to go with PT 4x4 posts, sleeved with PVC and a deck rail from these guys:
Wayside Fence
This would be much cheaper than TimberTech rail, etc. And somewhat cheaper and much less work than Ipe rail. I thought with the Hardie siding and white Azek trim, it would be a good choice. But now I'm having second thoughts, if the PVC rail will look too shiny. The Azek is much less shiny, more of a smooth matte finish. Any suggestions? Should I rip out the 4x4 PT, and put in Ipe posts? Or has anyone ever wrapped PT with some 1x6 Ipe?
Here is the post I made on the gardenweb forums
.
Here are my pics so far:
IpeDecking
The deck is about 14 by 26, framed with 2x10s, 12 inches on center. Right side of the deck is about 2 foot off the ground, left side is about 4 or 5 feet. There will be one Ipe step, off the deck to the bluestone patio. I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to do that, any ideas? Should I leave out the risers, so there will be enough ventilation?
Of course I hunted around for the best price on Ipe. The usual suspects East Teak, Advantage Lumber, etc. were still higher than best priced local lumber yard, Rings End Lumber in Lewisboro NY. I know 2 builders that use Rings End and they love their Ipe. But last minute, I ended up going with a crazy website where you submit an Ipe request and companies bid on it. Turns out the company with the best bid was actually the wholesaler/supplier for Rings End, what a coincidence. So I went with them. I wasn't only going for lowest bid, but lowest bid from a company with good quality Ipe, and I'm pretty happy with it. It was like John said in one of his posts, it has some band marks, end of the board with some stains from the sealer, etc., but the boards looked great. I got a mix of 8, 10, 15, 16 and 20 footers (mostly the larger sizes).
I bought 2.5 inch stainless steel screws from Fasco Fastener, 1/8 cobalt drill bits, carbide tipped chop saw blades, and a used eBay BoWrench. So I just put my first Ipe board down, screwed from the top. You can see that in the second picture - does it look like I did it right? I used another drill bit about the size of the screw head so the screw would go down below the surface slightly. Now I'm having second thoughts, and am considering plugging. Seems like only slightly more work than I'm already doing, using 3 drills as it is, not sure what to do right now with that.
Also second thoughts on the deck rail, I had decided to go with PT 4x4 posts, sleeved with PVC and a deck rail from these guys:
Wayside Fence
This would be much cheaper than TimberTech rail, etc. And somewhat cheaper and much less work than Ipe rail. I thought with the Hardie siding and white Azek trim, it would be a good choice. But now I'm having second thoughts, if the PVC rail will look too shiny. The Azek is much less shiny, more of a smooth matte finish. Any suggestions? Should I rip out the 4x4 PT, and put in Ipe posts? Or has anyone ever wrapped PT with some 1x6 Ipe?
Here is the post I made on the gardenweb forums
.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Hallowell Acadia update
OK I have not posted on my blog for a while, but I figured I'd share the results of the Hallowell heat pumps.
For the 2 month period 05-Jan-2010 to 02-Mar-2010, I used a total of 6465 killowatts, for which NYSEG charged me $746.67. So that is 373.33, for the 2 coldest months of the year.
That covers all of my electric usage - lights, appliances, plasma tv, etc, an 80 gallon electric water heater, and the Hallowell system. I keep the temperature set at 68 all day, and 65 at night (1 am to 9 am).
I am extremely happy with that. I would estimate that my electric water heater accounts for about $80 per month. The lights, appliances, plasma tv, etc I am guessing to be $100-$120. Which would leave my Hallowell heating cost at around $183 per month for Jan and Feb.
If I had been heating my house with oil (natural gas not available here), I would have to believe I would have gone through a 275 gallon tank in 3 weeks or less. Thats how much usage I had at 2 prior houses, which were half the size of the new one, but less well insulated. So lets say 13 gallons of oil, for 57 days is 746 gallons. At a price of $2.40 a gallon, that would have cost me $1792 (or $896) for the same time period.
That sounds shocking to me? Anything wrong with my math? $183 for Hallowell, $896 for oil?
Here are my actual bills:
January Bill
February Bill
UPDATE: PLEASE READ MY OTHER POSTS ABOUT THE HALLOWELL ACADIA. I'm having compressor problems like many other Hallowell Acadia Owners...
Also if you deal/install/own a Hallowell Acadia, please join the Hallowell Acadia Google Group.
.
For the 2 month period 05-Jan-2010 to 02-Mar-2010, I used a total of 6465 killowatts, for which NYSEG charged me $746.67. So that is 373.33, for the 2 coldest months of the year.
That covers all of my electric usage - lights, appliances, plasma tv, etc, an 80 gallon electric water heater, and the Hallowell system. I keep the temperature set at 68 all day, and 65 at night (1 am to 9 am).
I am extremely happy with that. I would estimate that my electric water heater accounts for about $80 per month. The lights, appliances, plasma tv, etc I am guessing to be $100-$120. Which would leave my Hallowell heating cost at around $183 per month for Jan and Feb.
If I had been heating my house with oil (natural gas not available here), I would have to believe I would have gone through a 275 gallon tank in 3 weeks or less. Thats how much usage I had at 2 prior houses, which were half the size of the new one, but less well insulated. So lets say 13 gallons of oil, for 57 days is 746 gallons. At a price of $2.40 a gallon, that would have cost me $1792 (or $896) for the same time period.
That sounds shocking to me? Anything wrong with my math? $183 for Hallowell, $896 for oil?
Here are my actual bills:
January Bill
February Bill
UPDATE: PLEASE READ MY OTHER POSTS ABOUT THE HALLOWELL ACADIA. I'm having compressor problems like many other Hallowell Acadia Owners...
Also if you deal/install/own a Hallowell Acadia, please join the Hallowell Acadia Google Group.
.
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